Reuters
Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 6, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel sprays sparkling wine at AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly on the podium as they celebrate finishing in second and third place respectively Pool via REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 6, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel sprays sparkling wine at AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly on the podium as they celebrate finishing in second and third place respectively Pool via REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
It may not have been a victory, but Sebastian Vettel took home a fabulous podium finish. However, Aston Martin were not the only ones happy for him. Former employers, Ferrari, were thrilled for the German driver.
Vettel donned the scarlet overalls from 2015 until the 2020 Formula One season. Now, in his first year with Aston Martin, he bagged the fledgling team’s maiden podium.
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During his Ferrari days, Vettel struggled a lot, especially in his last two years with the team. Now with the Aston Martin team, Vettel is opting for a fresh start in a new environment. In all honesty, he had difficulty meeting Ferrari’s standards, especially in his last two years with the team.
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However, after some early struggles, the 4-time World Champion has really come into his own. In just his sixth race, he has finished second, taking Aston Martin’s maiden podium and his 122nd podium.
The Ferrari team was quite happy for Sebastian Vettel
To make matters even sweeter, Vettel managed to best his former teammate Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque practically wiped the floor with him when they were partners; so revenge was well and truly sweet.
In spite of starting down in 11th place, Sebastian Vettel pulled off a few overtakes and a strategic masterstroke to move up nine places.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 6, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel celebrates with a trophy on the podium after finishing in second place REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto had high praise for his former ward after the race. Binotto said, “It was definitely a special race.
“We are happy that Seb came in second, he deserved second place. As Ferrari fans, I think we’re happy with the result he got.”
Of course, the Italian did confess that his own team’s race could have gone a lot better. Charles Leclerc squandered his pole position and ended up down in 4th place.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz ended up 8th after a mistake saw him drop down the order. On the bright side, the Italian marquee can take comfort in the fact that their qualifying pace was good with a second pole. To make matters even better, they currently sit 3rd in the championship, two points ahead of McLaren.
